The New Bern Bears have won six-straight, and are scoring nearly 40 points per game.

Head coach Bobby Curlings is pleased with the team’s progression, but doesn’t think they’ve played their best football yet.

The Bears (6-2, 3-0 Eastern Carolina), coming off a bye week, travel to Southern Wayne High School on Friday. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

“I feel like we’ve gotten a little better each week and a little more confident,” Curlings said. “We are still not as good as we are capable of being.

“We have made a lot of strides and I am excited about the possibilities.”

New Bern’s last time out, a 56-7 win over South Central Oct. 11, it forced six turnovers and gained 381 yards on offense.

Quarterback Michael Hughes has passed for 1,107 yards with 10 touchdowns to one interception. The junior has gained 708 yards on the ground and 19 scores.

Senior running back Cody Purdie has 884 rushing yards and six touchdowns, while wide receiver Deauntae Grimes has 30 receptions for 365 yards.

“It’s mainly been execution,” said Grimes. “If we execute the way we are supposed to, use our speed and talent and skills, we are good.”

New Bern’s defense is yielding just 13 points per game.

“We continue to create turnovers,” Curlings said. “If we keep doing that, we are going to be in good shape. We are winning the turnover battle in most games.

“Hopefully they can continue to play physical and keep creating turnovers.”

Southern Wayne (2-6, 0-3) lost to South Central, 28-6, last week. The Saints lost to C.B. Aycock, 35-28, earlier this season – a team New Bern walloped 72-7.

Curlings said the Saints run their offense out of a Wing-T formation and line up in a 3-5 formation on defense.

“They play hard,” Curlings said. “They have a very good running back. He is physical, with speed and plays on both sides of the football.”

Despite their record, Grimes said the Bears can’t overlook Southern Wayne. New Bern finishes the regular season with games against D.H. Conley and J.H. Rose over the next two weeks.

“I am pretty sure they can put up points if you overlook them,” said Grimes. “A lot of people have been talking about how our conference isn’t as strong as it was last year and we are not as physical, and there are a lot of things people say, but we just block it out.

“You can never really be satisfied with how your team is doing.”

Havelock’s Scott moves forward after milestone

HAVELOCK -- Havelock running back Derrell Scott is known for his speed and quick moves that leave defenders grasping at air. Against White Oak last Friday, the Ram senior proved he’s also a good mudder.

Page 2 of 3 - Scott ran for 225 yards and three touchdowns, eclipsing 5,000 career rushing yards in the process, as Havelock defeated the Vikings 54-0 on a rainy Friday night in Jacksonville.

“You just really have to emphasize ball security,” Scott said of playing in the rain. “You just have to really try to get north and south and not try to do too much. You’re just trying to get what you can get and take care of the football in weather like this.”

Rain began falling before Friday’s kickoff and continued through the third quarter. The Rams struggled offensively in a scoreless first quarter, but after stopping White Oak on fourth down inside the Ram 10-yard line, Havelock turned to Scott.

The senior took a handoff up the right sideline for 78 yards, switching field position and setting up Havelock’s first score of the night, a 13-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Travis Sabdo to Matthew Boykin.

Scott scored from 12 yards out in the second quarter, and with the Rams leading 21-0 in the third quarter, he basically put the game away with a 65-yard touchdown run. On the play, Scott went over 5,000 rushing yards in his Havelock High career and now stands at 5,042 yards on 553 carries with 76 touchdowns.

The humble Scott wasn’t aware of the mark and took no credit for the achievement.

“Really, I give all the credit to the offensive line,” he said. “They give me big holes, and I just try to get vertical as quick as I can, try to make somebody miss and lower my shoulder at the next defender and hopefully break something.”

Scott is being recruited by just about every top college football program in the country, and speculation about his future follows him everywhere he goes. Various recruiting websites and magazines list what are said to be his favorites but Scott is quick to point out that he has not made a decision. He’s trying not to let all the hype and attention affect him.

“(College) coaches are always telling you how good you are and how much they want you to come and play for them,” Scott said. “But, I’ve got good parents around me to keep me humble.”

Scott said he wasn’t sure when he would make a decision, and that he has planned recruiting trips to South Carolina and Florida and to see N.C. State play North Carolina.

He said all the attention hasn’t become overwhelming.

“I try not to think about it a whole lot,” he said. “I try to focus on my team and what we have to do each and every week.”

This week, that focus is on West Carteret, with the Rams traveling to Morehead City for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

Page 3 of 3 - For Scott, he’s just enjoying playing football.

“I just thank God for everything,” he said.

Eagles in championship battle

VANCEBORO -- With three games remaining in the regular season, the West Craven Eagles are in the hunt for a Coastal Conference Championship.

The first step is playing in Jacksonville against a stout Cardinals bunch on Friday at 7 p.m.

West Craven (6-2, 3-0 Coastal) has put up more than 31 points in each of its conference games.

The catalyst has been quarterback Alkeim Harley, who has passed for 795 yards, rushed for another 256 and accounted for 13 scores.

Running back Tyquail Raynor leads the ground attack with 231 yards, while Tyrone Brown (248 yards) and Danny Harvey (222 yards) are the top receivers.

Jacksonville (6-2, 2-1) had its lone conference loss to Havelock Oct. 4. The Cardinals, who were off last week, is led by quarterback Vincent Siders and running back Jermaine Linton.

Defensively, they’ve allowed 15 points per game, while the offense is scoring 21 per game.